In News: The National Urban Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) Policy is a welcome move on behalf of the Ministry of Urban Development.
Key features of the policy are as follows:
- State level guidelines, framework, objectives, timelines and implementation plans to address septage management
- Formulating strategy on central level to initiate capacity building for training on FSSM
- Sanitation benchmark framework which shall be used by ULB?s to develop database, registry of certified on site sanitation system and robust reporting forma
- Funding for facilitation of FSSM projects and encouragement to increase public private partnerships (PPP)
- Achieving integrated citywide sanitation along with safe disposal
Overall Vision
- All Indian cities and towns become totally sanitized, healthy and liveable and ensure sustenance of good sanitation practices with improved Onsite Sanitation Services together with faecal sludge and septage management to achieve optimum public health status and maintain clean environment with special focus on the poor.
Objectives
- The key objective of the urban FSSM Policy is to set the context, priorities, and direction for, and to facilitate, nationwide implementation of FSSM services in all ULBs such that safe and sustainable sanitation becomes a reality for all in each and every household, street, town and city.
- Ensure that all benefits of wide access to safe sanitation accrue to all citizens across the sanitation value chain with containment, extraction, transportation, treatment, and disposal / re-use of all faecal sludge, septage and other liquid waste and their by-products and end-products.
- Suggest and identify ways and means, including the methods and resources, towards creation of an enabling environment for realising safe and sustainable FSSM in India.
- Define the roles and responsibilities of various government entities and agencies, and of other key stakeholders such as the private sector, civil society organisations and citizens for effective implementation of FSSM services throughout the country.
- Enable and support synergies among relevant Central Government programs such as SBM, AMRUT and the Smart Cities Mission to realise safe and sustainable sanitation for all at the earliest, possibly by the year 2019.
- Mitigate gender-based sanitation insecurity directly related to FSSM, reducing the experience of health burdens, structural violence, and promoting involvement of both genders in the planning for and design of sanitation infrastructure.
AMRUT mission
- Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is the new avatar of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). But, in a significant departure from the earlier mission, the Centre will not appraise individual projects.
The Mission will focus on the following Thrust Areas
- Water Supply.
- Sewerage and septage management.
- Storm Water Drainage to reduce flooding
- Non-motorized Urban Transport.
- Green space/parks.
Five hundred cities have been selected under AMRUT.
The category of cities that have been selected under AMRUT is given below
- All Cities and Towns with a population of over one lakh with notified Municipalities as per Census 2011, including Cantonment Boards (Civilian areas).
- All Capital Cities/Towns of States/ UTs, not covered in above.
- All Cities/ Towns classified as Heritage Cities by MoHUA under the HRIDAY Scheme.
- Thirteen Cities and Towns on the stem of the main rivers with a population above 75,000 and less than 1 lakh.
- Ten Cities from hill states, islands and tourist destinations (not more than one from each State).
Implementation
- AMRUT adopts a project approach to ensure basic infrastructure services relating to water supply, sewerage, storm-water drains, transportation and development of green spaces and parks with special provision for meeting the needs of children.
- Under this mission, 10% of the budget allocation will be given to states and union territories as incentive based on the achievement of reforms during the previous year.
- States will only submit state annual action Plans to the centre for broad concurrence based on which funds will be released.
- Central assistance will be to the extent of 50% of project cost for cities and towns with a population of up to 10 lakhs and one-third of the project cost for those with a population of above 10 lakhs.
Under the mission, states will transfer funds to urban local bodies within 7 days of transfer by central government and no diversion of funds to be made failing which penal interest would be charged besides taking other adverse action by the centre.
Source: PIB
